Seán Mackin is an Irish republican from

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

and a fundraiser for the Friends of Sinn Féin (FOSF). Mackin, who had been a member of the

Irish Republican Socialist Party The Irish Republican Socialist Party or IRSP ( ga, Páirtí Poblachtach Sóisialach na hÉireann) is a Marxist-Leninist and republican party in Ireland. It is often referred to as the "political wing" of the Irish National Liberation Army (I ...

, the political wing of the

Irish National Liberation Army The Irish National Liberation Army (INLA, ga, Arm Saoirse Náisiúnta na hÉireann) is an Irish republican socialist paramilitary group formed on 10 December 1974, during the 30-year period of conflict known as "the Troubles". The group seek ...

, left Belfast for the United States in the 1980s. After being arrested in the US, he applied for political asylum, alleging

harassment Harassment covers a wide range of behaviors of offensive nature. It is commonly understood as behavior that demeans, humiliates or embarrasses a person, and it is characteristically identified by its unlikelihood in terms of social and moral ...

and threats from the security forces in Northern Ireland. Mackin was also reportedly under threat from a murderous internal feud within the INLA. A US immigration judge granted Mackin's wife and daughter political asylum in 1992. Seán Mackin was not granted asylum (as is sometimes misreported) but was granted " suspension of deportation," a different route to permanent residency and U.S. citizenship. The Mackins also have two sons, who are both United States citizens by birth. The entire family have since become United States citizens. In 2004, Mackin was detained by police while visiting Belfast and questioned about the death of a part-time

Royal Ulster Constabulary The Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) was the police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2001. It was founded on 1 June 1922 as a successor to the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC)Richard Doherty, ''The Thin Green Line – The History of the Royal ...

officer in 1983. Some members of Sinn Féin suggested that this police action was an attempt to disrupt Sinn Féin's fundraising efforts in the US.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mackin, Sean Activists from Belfast People from the Bronx Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Irish emigrants to the United States